Thursday, April 20, 2000 | 11:03 a.m.
Television cop Nash Bridges couldn't have done it any better himself.
Metro Police Sgt. Victor Vigna's past two nights could serve as a script for actor Don Johnson's high-octane action show, with two car chases, getting his patrol car rammed and recovering Johnson's stolen Mercedes Benz for good measure.
Vigna first spotted suspect Robert Lee Gibson Tuesday in a stolen Mercedes in the area of Twain Avenue and Swenson Street. After a chase that included the Mercedes ramming into Vigna's patrol car, Gibson allegedly ditched the car and escaped on foot, Lt. Gary Schofield said.
Wednesday night Vigna was again patrolling near Twain Avenue and Swenson Street when he spotted a familiar looking man driving what appeared to be Johnson's stolen black Mercedes S500.
"I couldn't believe it myself," Vigna said. "I looked over and there he was again."
Vigna spotted the car at 11:35 p.m. Wednesday, starting a high-speed chase that ended about 30 minutes later, Schofield said.
"I think he took us through just about every area command except the southwest," Schofield said. "We lost him several times and notified Nevada Highway Patrol, North Las Vegas and Henderson. The officers following estimated that he was going in excess of 90 mph, so we backed off and let the air unit continue the pursuit."
That pursuit ended just south of Charleston Boulevard on Valley View Boulevard, when the Mercedes tried to take a curve in the road too fast and spun over the westbound curb and into a planter. The Mercedes uprooted a tree and slid about 75 feet before rolling and coming to a stop on the driver's side against a large sign for a strip mall.
Gibson, 31, was arrested and charged with two counts of felony evading police and two counts of possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was also charged with one count of battery with a deadly weapon in the ramming of Vigna's car and one count of extortion, Schofield said.
Gibson was taken to University Medical Center to be treated for minor injuries.
A key ring found in the stolen Mercedes recovered Tuesday had about eight different car keys on it, including another Mercedes, an Audi, Chevrolet and Ford.
Johnson's Mercedes retails for about $80,000 and suffered severe damage in the accident. Johnson is in Las Vegas this week shooting footage for "Nash Bridges" at the Desert Inn hotel-casino, Schofield said.
Jace Radke is a reporter for the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-2318 or by e-mail at [email protected]
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